Lily J. Potter
Lily J. Potter (née Evans) (30 January 1960 – 31 October 1981) was a Muggle-born witch, the younger daughter of Mr and Mrs Evans, and the younger sister of Petunia Evans. She learned that she was a witch as a child after Severus Snape (a wizard boy who lived nearby) recognised her as such and told her of the existence of magic. Lily attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1971-1978. She was Sorted into Gryffindor House and was a member of the Slug Club. In her seventh year, Lily was made Head Girl and began dating James Potter. After Hogwarts, she married James and they had just one child, a daughter named Harriet Dorea Potter, of whom she made Sirius Black the godfather. The couple, along with their friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew joined the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War; she and her husband defied Lord Voldemort himself three times. However, Lily and James were forced to go into hiding after a prophecy was made concerning Lord Voldemort and their infant daughter. She and James were betrayed by Pettigrew, and thus both were murdered by Voldemort on Hallowe'en night in 1981 while trying to protect their daughter. Lily briefly appeared again through the Resurrection Stone in May 1998. She appeared along with James (her husband), Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. After the end of the Second Wizarding War, Lily had three grandchildren through her daughter: James Sirius Potter, Ariana Lee Potter, and Lily Luna Potter, the last of whom was named in memory of her. Biography Early life (1960 - 1971) Lily was born to Mr and Mrs Evans, two Muggles of the Evans family, on 30 January 1960. She had an older sister named Petunia, and the family lived in Cokeworth, England. At the age of nine, Lily became friends with Severus Snape, who lived down in Spinner's End, which was within walking distance of the Evans' house. Petunia sneered at Snape for coming from a poverty-stricken neighbourhood. Severus was the first person to tell Lily that she was a witch, and he went on to teach her a great deal about the wizarding world while the two eagerly awaited the time when they could attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry together. Originally, Petunia and Lily were quite close, but her magical abilities and her friendship with Severus caused problems between the sisters. Envying her sister's abilities Petunia wrote to Dumbledore, asking if she could attend Hogwarts with Lily. Lily bought her wand from Ollivanders in Diagon Alley at the age of eleven. The wand was 10¼ inches, willow, "swishy", and according to Garrick Ollivander, good for charm work. Hogwarts years (1971 - 1978) House.]] At the age of eleven, she started attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she was Sorted into Gryffindor. She became quite skilled at Potions, attracting the attention of Professor Horace Slughorn, who made her a member of his Slug Club. In her fifth year, Lily stood up for her then best friend - Severus Snape - when he was being bullied by James Potter, whom she considered to be an "arrogant bullying toerag". She had addressed James by his surname - James himself having called Lily by hers - and attempted to stop his bullying. Snape lashed out at her in his humiliation, calling her a "filthy Mudblood." Severus begged for Lily's forgiveness and she, in turn, asked him if he still intended to join the Death Eaters. When he did not deny this, Lily realised that Snape did not understand what was wrong with doing so. This led to a parting of ways between Lily and Snape, as the former had already become dismayed by Snape's fascination with the Dark Arts, and his friendship with his Slytherin house-mates Mulciber and Avery, both of whom were aspiring Death Eaters. Harry would later witness the scene of her father's bullying and her mother's ambiguous intervention twice via a pensieve as well as other scenes depicting he mother's friendship with Snape. By Lily's fifth year, James was repeatedly asking her out, but she refused him because he bullied other students, particularly Severus Snape. James's best friend Sirius Black later commented that James could not resist showing off and making a fool of himself whenever she was around. Lily did not, however, hate James. While she did not approve of his bullying, she did admire how James stood up for his friends and other people who were cruelly treated by Snape's aspiring-Death Eater friends. towards the end of her education.]] During their seventh year, James matured somewhat, proving himself to be responsible and brave. However, it is implied that James still had the desire to bully Snape, but was willing to stop actually doing it for the sake of Lily. This led to her agreeing to go out with him, and Lily's attraction to him grew into genuine affection and eventually love. The young couple were chosen to be Head Boy and Head Girl. In late 1977, Lily and James had a disastrous first meeting with Petunia and her then-fiancé, Vernon Dursley, which presumably took place over Christmas break, as they were both still at Hogwarts. When Vernon tried to impress James with his car, the wizard, in turn, boasted of his own material wealth, and a row ensued. The evening ended with both Vernon and Petunia storming out of the restaurant and Lily bursting into tears, with James promising he'd apologise and make it up (which, due to his and Lily's untimely deaths, never happened). Petunia was married by the end of 1977. Though Lily and James were invited to the wedding, Petunia refused to have Lily as a bridesmaid, upsetting her deeply. At the reception, Vernon would not talk to James but described him as "some magician" within his earshot. First Wizarding War (1978 - 1981) Marriage and the Order Sometime after graduating from Hogwarts in 1978, Lily and James married, the wedding took place sometime between the summer of 1978 and the autumn of 1979, with Sirius Black serving as James' best man. Petunia and Vernon refused to attend the wedding. Lily had little contact with her sister from that point. Living off James' family fortune, the Potters became full-time members of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation dedicated to fighting Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters, along with their friends Sirius, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. During the war, they defied Voldemort on at least three occasions, the first being when they refused to join his cause when he tried to recruit them. Life in hiding and death Lily became pregnant in the autumn of 1979. Around the same time, Sybill Trelawney made a prophecy in front of Albus Dumbledore, predicting that "the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches" and would be "born to those who have thrice defied him". The first part of the prophecy was overheard by Lily's ex-friend, Snape, who had since become a Death Eater. He loyally reported what he had heard to his master, and was horrified when Voldemort came to believe that Lily's daughter was the subject of the prophecy. It was the threat to Lily that led Snape to change sides, warning Dumbledore of the Dark Lord's plans, and vowing to do anything to keep the woman he still loved safe. It was Snape's continuing devotion to Lily, that made Dumbledore certain of his double agent's true loyalties. The Potters went into hiding while Lily was still pregnant. Their daughter, Harriet Dorea Potter, was born on 31 July 1980. Due to the danger they were in, Lily and James chose to keep Harry's christening a "very hurried, quiet affair" with Sirius Black as the only guest. The couple also chose Sirius to be Harry's godfather. Lily sent a birth announcement to Petunia; it was to be the last piece of information she ever sent her sister, though Petunia would later send Lily a vase for that Christmas. In a letter to Sirius dated around Harry's first birthday in July 1981, Lily mentioned that the family had a pet cat, and relayed a story about Harry flying on the toy broomstick Sirius had given her as a birthday present. The Fidelius Charm was placed on their home in Godric's Hollow. Their Secret-Keeper, Peter Pettigrew, was chosen as a less-likely target for the Death Eaters than Sirius Black, but he betrayed the Potters by telling Voldemort of their whereabouts barely a week later. Attack at Godric's Hollow (1981) On 31 October 1981 Voldemort entered their home. James told Lily to take Harry and leave while he held him off. James, however, was murdered before Lily and Harry could escape the cottage. Trapping mother and daughter in Harry's nursery, Voldemort, honouring Snape's request to spare her life, offered Lily a chance to step aside. She steadfastly refused to stop shielding her daughter, and Voldemort murdered her. Because Lily's death was a pure loving sacrifice (she intended to die, and was not hoping to save herself) Harry was marked with the protection of her love. Voldemort's Killing Curse rebounded off the one-year-old. The rebounded curse destroyed the Dark Lord's body and temporarily defeating him. Harry was left unscathed, except for a lightning-bolt scar on her forehead. Thus, Harry became known as the "Girl-Who-Lived" and her fate was sealed. If not for Snape's love for Lily, which led to him to beg Voldemort for Lily's life, her death would not have been a willing sacrifice, and there would have been no Girl Who Lived. Post-mortem Post-mortem After Lily and James were murdered Petunia (Lily's sister), was the one to arrange the funeral, as James had no family left. Afterward, she grudgingly cared for her sister's only child. However, her mother's death would not be the last Harry would see of her. During her first year at Hogwarts, she happened to stumble upon the Mirror of Erised. In this mirror, she saw her parents for the first time, along with her grandparents and other ancestors. Also at the end of Harry's first year, Hagrid gave her a photo album filled with pictures of her family and of herself as an infant. In her third year whenever she encountered a Dementor, she was forced to relive her parents' deaths, particularity Lily's. ]] In Harry's fourth year, while duelling with Voldemort in the Little Hangleton graveyard, they experienced Priori Incantatem, and shades of her mother and father and others whom Voldemort had murdered, came out of Voldemort's wand to help Harry in her escape. In Harry's fifth year, she entered Severus Snape's memory of being bullied by James and Sirius Black via the use of Pensieve and saw her mother standing up for Snape. In 1998, she relived that same memory of Snape's, as well as many others containing her mother, in the Pensieve after Snape's death. The memories revealed that Lily and Snape had been best friends since their childhood and it also brought to light Snape's unrequited and continuing love for Lily, years after her death. ]] Finally, during the Battle of Hogwarts, when Harry believed herself to be walking to her own death, she used the Resurrection Stone to bring back the spirits of Lily, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. Both James and Lily told Harry that they were "so very proud of him", proud of her outstanding courage and strength, and assured her that they would stay with her until the very end. Harry described their very presence as her courage, the reason she was able to keep putting one foot in front of the other, with Lily smiling at her, and James nodding encouragingly. Many years after Lily died, her daughter married George Weasley and mothered three children. Harry's only daughter, Lily Luna Potter, was named in memory of her maternal grandmother. Physical description Lily was a beautiful woman. She had thick, dark red hair that fell to her shoulders and bright green almond-shaped eyes. Apparently, her eyes were extremely distinctive, because every person who knew Lily would always see them in Harry. Personality and traits Lily was known for being a vivacious, talented, and popular student. She became Head Girl in her final year at Hogwarts. She was also an all-time favourite of her Potions Master Horace Slughorn. Slughorn noted that she was witty and charming, as well as having a knack for potions. Remus Lupin once described her as an uncommonly kind person with a habit of seeing the best in others, even when they could not see it themselves. Lily was also a woman of sound moral principles and would stand by them no matter what it cost her: though her actions were ineffective. On at least one occasion she called out James Potter and Sirius Black for their bullying of her friend, Severus Snape. When she realised - through an insult that Snape gave her in a moment of angry humiliation - Snape's devotion to Voldemort's genocidal cause (of which she was a target of at the time) as well as his increasingly deep fascination with the Dark Arts, Lily refused his apology and ended her friendship with him permanently. Though she had a sharp tongue and had no problems in standing up to others when she was in a temper, Lily was still the type of person who would give others a second chance when they had proven themselves worthy of it. The most notable instance of this quality would be how she finally agreed to date James after he had matured out of his bullying ways, despite the fact that she did not have a good opinion of him during their early school years. Lily's and her husband's most celebrated virtues were their courage and capacity for self-sacrifice: defying Voldemort three times as members of the Order of the Phoenix, and even death, to protect their daughter. It was also noted that Lily was very much like her daughter, Harry. Magical abilities and skills ]] Since even Lord Voldemort was willing to overlook her Muggle-born status and ask her to join him, it can be deduced that Lily was a very powerful witch. She was able to conjure a corporeal doe Patronus (a mark of superior magical ability) and it was also noted that Lily had a particular talent in Potions. * Love: Lily displayed a tremendous amount of love throughout her life. She lovingly sacrificed herself for her only daughter when she was twenty-one years old. It was this sacrifice that enabled Harry to survive the Killing Curse and protected her for sixteen years after her mother's death. *'Potions': Lily was an excellent potioneer, possessing an "instinctual understanding" of the subject. *'Charms': Lily's wand was said to have been good for charms work. This implies that she must have been proficient in this area of magic. Lily was able to make "singing teapots" and could also effectively conjure a corporeal doe Patronus, a very advanced piece of magic. *'Duelling': Lily (along with her husband) was able to defy and escape Lord Voldemort three times, which showcases her talent in martial magic. *'Transfiguration': Lily was revealed to have been skilled in Transfiguration. When home from Hogwarts she "turned teacups into rats" ''and was able to transfigure a lily petal into a fish. *'Control of underage magic: Before attending Hogwarts, Lily was revealed to have already had a level of control over her magic, which was a rare skill. She was able to slow her descent through the air after jumping off a swing, and to control the petals of a flower. Possessions *Wand:' Lily's wand was 10¼" long, made of willow, and had an unknown core. The wand was described as "swishy" and "''nice for Charms work" by Garrick Ollivander. *'Potters' Cottage:' Lily owned this cottage in Godric's Hollow along with her husband James during the final weeks of the First Wizarding War. This is where she and her husband were murdered and her daughter Harry was marked as the "Girl-Who-Lived". The cottage still stands as a reminder of what happened that Hallowe'en night in 1981. *'Cat:' This was a pet of the Potter family. What happened to it after the attack is unknown. Relationships Family Evans family , her older sister]] Lily had a close relationship with her mother and father. They were very proud to learn that Lily was a witch and favoured her over her sister Petunia. She had a happy home life. Lily initially had a close relationship with her older sister, Petunia. The two girls played together and when Lily began demonstrating magical ability, Petunia was "torn between curiosity and disapproval". Petunia was disdainful of the friendship Lily struck up with Severus Snape, the poor, young wizard who had taken to spying on Lily and who first informed her that she was a witch; in turn, Snape was quite insulting to Petunia for being a Muggle. When Lily was invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Petunia wrote to the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, requesting that she be permitted to do the same. Although his refusal was kind, Petunia became very bitter, and jealously deemed her sister a "freak". Their relationship seems to have deteriorated greatly afterwards, and even as an adult, Petunia resented that her parents were proud of Lily's magical abilities and took out her enmity on Lily's daughter, Harry. However, despite the bitterness on Petunia's end, the two appeared to still be in contact; Harry, as an infant, was said to have "smashed a horrible vase Petunia sent Lily for Christmas". Petunia also grudgingly took Harry in, at Dumbledore's request, after Lily's death. James Potter , her husband and father of her son]] Lily's relationship with James Potter was initially a volatile one. They first met on the Hogwarts Express just before the start of their first year at Hogwarts, at which time Lily was angered by James' and Sirius Black's mockery of her best friend, Severus Snape. Although James was a talented Quidditch player, well-liked by most, Lily considered him an arrogant bully and treated him with contempt. This was likely motivated partly by James' hostile relationship with Snape. By his fifth year, James started to have romantic feelings for Lily, and would show off to try to impress her, without success. It is not known whether he asked her out more than once. It seems that, by that time, James had "deflated his head a bit" and "stopped hexing people for the fun of it". She eventually began going out with him and married James. The two joined the Order of the Phoenix after graduating, in addition to getting married and having a child, Harriet Dorea Potter. Her Patronus took the shape of a doe, while her husband's was a stag. Harry Potter , her son and only child]] On 31 July 1980, Lily and James' first and only child, Harry, was born and they loved their daughter more than anything. On Hallowe'en in 1981, they sacrificed themselves at in order to save her from Lord Voldemort, when she was just an infant. Albus Dumbledore always maintained that Harry's love for her parents and the love they had in return for her, was her greatest power. Harry barely knew them, but nevertheless regarded them with great reverence and fiercely defended their memory if anyone spoke ill of them. In 1995, she punched Draco Malfoy for insulting her mother, and she was frequently at odds with Professor Snape, who taunted Harry that James was not the great man others made him out to be. An incident that Snape would have delightfully used as an example was witnessed by Harry in the spring of 1996, when Harry accidentally watched James bullying Snape with no provocation (other than the already-existing animosity between them,) in one of Snape's own memories, during Harry's Occlumency lessons. Harry began to question how her mother even came to marry James when she clearly despised him for acting in such a way, though Remus and Sirius later assured Harry that her father had changed his ways, having matured enough to become Head Boy and eventually win Lily over. , and grandchildren]] The few times he ever saw her parents were in pictures given to her by Rubeus Hagrid, through a vision within the Mirror of Erised, as spectral forms which came out of Voldemort's wand during Priori Incantatem, as stored memories within the Pensieve, and again as spectral forms when he "recalled" them during the Battle of Hogwarts, by using the Resurrection Stone. Lily's spirit was described as looking at Harry as if she couldn't do so enough, and Harry asked her mother to stay close to her as she approached the Death Eaters' camp, and certain doom. Both James and Lily told Harry that they were tremendously proud of her for being so brave and strong despite all the pain and suffering she had endured, and gave her the support she needed to sacrifice herself to Voldemort. It's also seen that Lily calls Harry by a name of affection, she has on different occasions referred to her as "sweetheart". Harry eventually named two of her children after her late parents and godfather, James Sirius Potter, and Lily Luna Potter. Severus Snape , her once best friend]] Severus Snape lived near the Evans family when he was a child, and soon began spying on Lily after he noticed that she was a witch. The two became friends when he started telling her about the wizarding world, and were best friends until their fifth year at Hogwarts, despite being sorted into different houses. Lily became increasingly dismayed by Snape's friendships with people such as Avery and Mulciber, who disdained Muggle-borns and who practised the Dark Arts. There is no evidence to suggest that Lily reciprocated the romantic feelings felt by Snape, but she was best friends with him and could grow to love him romantically. However, Snape called Lily a "filthy Mudblood" in a fit of anger and humiliation, it was the last straw for Lily. When she later asked him if he still intended to become a Death Eater and he did not deny it, she severed all ties with him. Despite the ending of their friendship, Snape still loved Lily. When he realised that it was Harry who Voldemort had fixated on as his enemy mentioned in the Prophecy, Snape begged him to spare Lily's life. He, however, showed no concern for the life of her daughter or husband. Voldemort agreed to this request and offered Lily several chances to step aside. Her refusal to do so even though she had a choice is what created the magic that protected Harry. Lily loved Snape as her best friend and tragically for him, might have returned his romantic love if he had not once been consumed by the Dark Arts. The deep, unrequited love Snape held for Lily for almost all of his life also influenced his Patronus, which took the form of a silver doe - the same as hers, caused him to spy on Voldemort for Albus Dumbledore. He also protected her daughter until his own death, where he told Harry "Look at me", wishing to see Lily’s eyes once more before he died as it was the only part of Harry that resembled her mother, the rest looking very much like her father. Marauders (left to right): Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, James Potter, and Remus Lupin]] Lily met Sirius Black on the Hogwarts Express at the same time she met James. She disliked them both, as they quickly began teasing Severus Snape, Lily's best friend at the time (though it was Snape who had initiated the argument by mocking the other boys' preference of House). When Lily and Sirius were both sorted into Gryffindor House Lily remembered him from the train and turned her back on him when he made room for her at the Gryffindor table. However, during their later school years, they might have become good friends, and Lily eventually married Sirius's best friend, James Potter. Sirius, Lily, and the Marauders became members of the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War and fought in several battles against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. When Dumbledore cast a Fidelius Charm to hide James, Lily, and Harry from Voldemort, they originally wanted to make Sirius their Secret Keeper. They knew Sirius to be completely and utterly trustworthy, and Lily sent him at least one letter and a photograph of her family during her time in hiding. However, Sirius had proposed that Peter Pettigrew be made Secret Keeper instead, thinking that Voldemort would not expect a "weak, talentless thing" like Peter to be given such a crucial role. This turned out to be a fatal mistake, as Peter had turned traitor and become a spy for the Death Eaters. Barely a week after the Fidelius Charm was performed, Peter betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort, leading to them being tragically murdered. Sirius was deeply devastated; he attacked Peter and attempted to kill him. Sirius was also godfather to Lily's daughter, Harry Potter, and they shared an intimate relationship; Harry regarded Sirius as a mixture of friend and older brother, and Sirius viewed Harry as an exceptionally brave and matured adult with rights to knowing difficult truths, fully capable of shouldering burdens that many wizards much older and wiser than she could not. Lily's relationship with Remus Lupin is not known. In the movies, Lily and Remus are portrayed as friends, though there is no info related to their relationship in the books. When Snape insisted there was something strange about Remus, Lily answered that she didn't care about what the Marauders did; most likely, she had also realised that Remus was a werewolf, but didn't care. After graduating from Hogwarts, Remus helped James and Lily hide, and would have willingly died for his friends rather than betray them to save his own skin. When James and Lily died, Remus was devastated, and initially believed, along the rest of the wizarding world, that Sirius had been a traitor. Later on, Remus grew close to Lily's daughter, Harry Potter. He taught Harry the Patronus Charm, and protected her throughout the Second Wizarding War, while Harry ended up becoming the godmother to Remus's son Teddy. Despite Peter Pettigrew's cowardly nature, Lily became more friendly with him as she warmed to James, even affectionately referring to Peter as "Wormy," from his nickname "Wormtail." When James and Lily went into hiding from Lord Voldemort, Lily and James trusted Peter enough to make him their Secret Keeper, though only at Sirius' suggestion to use someone less obvious than himself for the role. By then, however, Peter had already become a spy for Voldemort, and he betrayed his dearest friends out of fear for his own life; one time Peter saw Lily and James while they were in hiding, Lily noted that he "seemed down." After Voldemort murdered Lily and James, it is possible that Pettigrew felt some regret for his treacherous, heartless betrayal; in 1998, Pettigrew unintentionally saved Harry from Lord Voldemort, who was trying to kill the boy through Pettigrew's silver hand, by briefly hesitating when Harry reminded him of his life debt. This one, tiny impulse of mercy, however, led to Pettigrew being killed by the same hand. Horace Slughorn , her former professor]] During her time at Hogwarts, Lily demonstrated extraordinary talent in potions, becoming one of Potions Master Horace Slughorn's "all-time favourites" and a member of his Slug Club. Slughorn considered her to be one of the brightest students he had ever taught, while being known to also teach students like Tom Riddle, and knew her to be a vivacious, charming, talented, if sometimes cheeky girl; he even stated, "I don't imagine anyone who met her wouldn't have liked her...very brave...very funny...", though he was surprised by her Muggle lineage. Lily also gave Slughorn a present, probably as a token of her respect and love for him as her teacher: a bowl of water, on which a petal from a lily floated, and as the petal sank, it transformed into a fish, just before it reached the bottom. He described it as "beautiful magic, wondrous to behold", and named the fish Francis. When Francis suddenly disappeared one day, Slughorn realised that Lily had died, and her death haunted him for many years. Harry Potter used Slughorn's sympathy and grief for her mother's death to his advantage while under the effects of Felix Felicis, persuading Slughorn to give her the true memory of Tom Riddle's inquiry about Horcruxes, by encouraging him to be as brave as her mother was, and claiming that it would undo whatever great wrong he had done. Albus Dumbledore , her former headmaster]] Albus Dumbledore was Lily's Headmaster when she was a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When Dumbledore invited Lily to attend Hogwarts, her sister, Petunia, became jealous and sent a letter to Dumbledore requesting to be enrolled in Hogwarts as well. Dumbledore answered Petunia that she could not, though in a way Lily found to be "very kind". During Lily's years at Hogwarts, Dumbledore became very fond of her, seeing her as a talented witch with a pure, kind heart, and eventually appointing her Head Girl. After Lily and her friends graduated from Hogwarts, they became members of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation Dumbledore founded and led. When James and Lily became targets of Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore offered to be their Secret Keeper in an attempt to protect them, but the role went to Peter Pettigrew instead, at Sirius' suggestion. This turned out to be the couple's death sentence, as Peter betrayed them to Voldemort, who found them and killed them. Dumbledore was deeply upset by their deaths and dedicated the rest of his life to keeping their daughter safe. He eventually became Harry's mentor, often telling Harry of the love and goodness of her parents, and continually insisting that Harry's love for her parents was her greatest strength and a source of incredible power — "the power the Dark Lord knows not". Minerva McGonagall , her former head of house and professor]] Minerva McGonagall appeared to have a close relationship with Lily during the First Wizarding War. McGonagall was the Transfiguration Professor and also the Head of Gryffindor House while Lily attended Hogwarts. After Lily left Hogwarts, both she and McGonagall became members of the first Order of the Phoenix and fought against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. After Voldemort found and killed the Potters, McGonagall was devastated to learn of Lily's death, and that of her husband, James, to which she actually broke down into tears. Professor McGonagall was fond of Lily's daughter and protected her as best as she could throughout her time at Hogwarts. Order of the Phoenix ]] During the First Wizarding War, Lily was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and would have fought alongside many of its members during the First Wizarding War. She appeared to be friendly with some members, such as Rubeus Hagrid, Elphias Doge, and Marlene McKinnon, as she appeared to be very upset when she learned about the McKinnons' death, crying all night. Etymology The given name Lily comes from the name of the flower, which is a symbol of purity. Specifically, the lily is often associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary; one type of the flower is known as the Madonna lily. Greek mythology also links lilies to the Muses and to the goddess Hera, and the flowers continue to be representative of purity and love in Europe. In China, lily means "forever in love", and the flowers were thought to be capable of averting evil. Lily's maiden name was Evans. Evans is a Welsh or English surname derived from the given name Evan. As a Welsh name, Evan means "young warrior"; it can also be considered a form of the name John, (named after the apostle John) meaning "God is gracious and merciful". Lily's married surname is Potter. Potter is a very common surname of English origin. It traditionally refers to the occupation of making pottery. Beatrix Potter was a well-known English children's author. Potter's Field is the name for a burial ground for the unknown or unclaimed dead, particularly soldiers and orphans; It is first mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew, the Potter family had many members that fit that description. The Potter Box is a model for making ethical decisions developed at Harvard University. J. K. Rowling has also commented that she has liked this name since childhood, due to a relationship with two friends who were named Ian and Vikki Potter.